Jake Schwartz, 36

General Assembly, Chief executive

"Some of the startups here have gone on to huge things," Jake Schwartz said, exhaling a puff of e–cigarette vapor into the loft–like office of General Assembly. In 2011, when he co–founded GA in the shadow of the Flatiron Building, Mr. Schwartz wasn't planning to disrupt graduate education. Now GA alums like Washio and Spottly are upending industries around the world and attracting millions in venture–capital funds.

After spending his 20s floating between finance jobs and performing arts organizations, the Wharton M.B.A. started a "clubhouse for entrepreneurs," looking to create a networking space for the burgeoning Silicon Alley. Quickly, they saw demand grow for courses in the very subjects that start startups, like UX design and digital marketing.

Mr. Schwartz said the founders thought they could have students think of education as an investment. "If we could provide a return on that investment and really transform people's lives," he said, "that would be something interesting."

Now GA is one of the leading "tech academies" for 20–somethings looking for quick programming skills and midcareer changers looking to reinvent themselves. After raising about $50 million in venture–capital funding, GA currently has 82 practitioner instructors. They taught 66,996 students at 13 campuses worldwide in 2014, in addition to 221,242 users of Dash, the company's online learning tool.

Fast facts

Jake Schwartz eats lunch at the desk, has an iPhone, wears jeans and chucks, is scattered, in a creative way, uses social media once a day.